Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and I thank Senator Power for raising the matter.

The Department contributes to the overall aim of Government policy on drugs and the national drugs strategy, which is to provide an effective integrated response to the problems posed by drug misuse. Part of the Department's contribution to the national drugs strategy is to provide funding for a number of projects in local drugs task force areas.

Laneview Learning Centre, also known as the rehabilitation and support programme, RASP, was established in 1998 with the aim of addressing drug problems in the Coolock area of Dublin. In 2005, following a review of its operation, the board of RASP changed the name of its building to Laneview Learning Centre.

Laneview Learning Centre provides a community-based drug rehabilitation project for adults who are in recovery from addiction. Through the provision of a community employment scheme it provides a number of placements for adults from the Dublin 17 area who are on a treatment programme with the adjacent Beldale Clinic, operated by the HSE. The project provides a programme which has both an educational content and a rehabilitation emphasis.

This year, for the educational component of the programme, the Department has allocated €138,847 towards the RASP project at Laneview Learning Centre. This is the same as the 2010 allocation for the project. This funding primarily goes towards the cost of one staff salary, the cost of leasing premises and other programme costs.

Senator Power will be aware that my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, is undertaking a comprehensive expenditure review across all areas of Government spending. This process will inform budgetary decisions and the Senator will appreciate that I am not in a position at present to state what funding allocation will be made available by the Department to the Laneview Learning Centre in 2012. A decision regarding the provision of an allocation to Laneview Learning Centre for 2012 will be taken by the Department in the context of the overall budgetary process for 2012.

The Department acknowledges that the RASP project at Laneview Learning Centre provides a significant service to stabilised recovering adult drug users. The project provides a programme which has both learning content and, equally, a strong rehabilitation emphasis. I assure the Senator that the Department will inform the project of decisions on its future funding as early as possible.

In addition to the funding provided for the Laneview Learning Centre and five other projects in local drugs task force areas, the Department makes a significant contribution in support of the prevention pillar of the national drugs strategy through the mandatory social, personal and health education curriculum at primary level and at junior cycle at second level; through the initiatives under the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, action plan to prevent early school leaving and achieve better educational outcomes for students, given that early school leaving is a major indicator for those engaging in substance misuse; and through the guidelines on substance use policies issued to all schools.

I assure Senator Power that the Department remains committed, within the resources available to it, to provide support for the national drugs strategy.